The present invention relates generally to an interactive simulated dialogue system and method for simulating a dialogue between persons. More particularly, the present invention relates to an audiovisual simulated dialogue system and method for providing a simulated dialogue over a computer network. Currently, a simulated dialogue program combines digital video and voice recognition technology to allow a user to speak naturally and conduct a virtual interview with images of a human character. These programs facilitate, for example, professional education through direct virtual dialogue with acknowledged experts; patient education through direct virtual dialogue with health professionals and experienced peers; and foreign language training through virtual interviews with native speakers.
Simulated dialogue programs have been developed in accordance with the methods and apparatus disclosed by Harless, U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,987. One such program is a virtual interview with Dr. Jackie Johnson, a female oncologist, which allows women concerned about breast cancer to obtain in-depth information from this acknowledged expert. Another simulated dialogue program allows users to learn about the issues and concerns of biological warfare from Dr. Joshua Lederberg, a Nobel laureate. Still another program allows students of the Arabic language to conduct virtual interviews with Iraqi native speakers to learn conversational Arabic and sustain their proficiency with that language.
These programs, however, are implemented in a stand-alone computer environment. As such, each user must not only have the necessary hardware, they also need to install the necessary software. Moreover, the users must choose and select the desired simulation topics to be loaded on the computer as well as supplement them on an ongoing basis. Thus, it is desirable to provide realistic simulated dialogues over a computer network.